Shock-absorber.



0. J. Holas-UN.`

SHOCK ABSORBER. APPLICATION FILED APR. e, 1912.

1,086, 1 74. Patented Feb. -3, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

I WITNESSES: INVENTDR ATTORNEY UNrrnp estaras earner carica..

OLIVER JESSE HOBSON, 0F PORTLAND, OREGON, ASSIGNOR T0 HOBSON TIRECOMPANY,

i 0F VANCOUVER, WASHINGTON, A. CORPORATION OF WASHINGTON.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 3, 15H4..

Application filed April 6, 1912. Serial No. 689,051.

' State of Oregon, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inShock-Absorbers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention pertains to shock absorbers and has for its object toprovide a tire or cushioning device for vehicleywheels.

' A further object is to provide a cushioning device for thoseimplements where such devices or springs are usually employed.

A still further object isto arrange one or more strips of flexible andinelastic material about the `felly of the wheel or other base for theabsorber, and to provide saidstrips with a plurality of resilientsupports, whereby the strips will be held from longitudinal or lateraldisplacement and which will afford a resiliency sufficient to relievethe wheel or other base from sudden concussion or shock.

These and other objects are etectually accomplished by the mechanismillustrated in the ,accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a sideelevation showing a fragment of a wheel upon -which my mproved tire isapplied. Fig. 2 is a separable tension device embodying also resilientsupports for the inelastic bands shown in Fig.

. conform thereto.

l. Fig. 3 shows the resilient supports of Fig. 2with the tensioningdevice omitted.

Fig. 4 is another form of support. Fig. 5v

shows an auxiliary coil spring in addition to the spring plates shown inFigs. 2 and 3. Fig. 6 is a detailed transverse sectional view showingone pair of supports of the form shown in Fig. 5. Fig. 7 shows a segmentof a wheel on which my improvement is applied embodying a furthermodification of band supports and of the inner band, to Fig. 8 is atransverse sectional view of Fig. 7 showing a covering for the tire.Fig. 9 is a fragmentary side elevation of a wheel showing the tireasapplied, with a modification of the tensioning devices, and an outercovering.` Fig. 10 is a transverse sectional view of Fig. 9. Fig.

1l is a sectional view of a further modified tensioning device.

Referring to the drawings in detail, i represents the rire -of a vehiclewheel in which are arranged in pairs at suitable intervals, the screwbolts 2 having rounded heads 3 adapted to form a base to engage in thevcorrespondingly formed recesses 3*l of the spring plates 6c. plates aredisposed in spaced relation about the fellyvand are shaped to form asuitable As indicated, the spring' base for the superposed strip 5 offabric, l

leather or other suitable material, which is rigidly secured to thesprings by means of rivets 7. Upon the stript; midway between eachlongitudinal pair of spring supports is arrangedV another series ofsupports which are secured in a similar manner to the said strips and toa similar strip above. As seen.

in Fig. 1 these springs 6 are of 'a slightly different shape, thoughthis is not essential. Here, also, is a further modiiication, in thateach springis lined upon a separate bolt, one of which is provided witha right hand and the other with a left hand screw thread and the two areunited by the correspondingly screwthreaded nut 10, by means of whichthe outer and inner bands are held in proper adjustment. In the event itis desirable to remove the outer strips this may be readily done byremoving the nuts l() ,from the screw bolts 9. A detailed view of theseadjusting bolts is shown in Fig. 2. If further resiliency 4is desired inthe cushion, an additional band 5b may be secured in a similar mannerupon similar spring Supports which are disposed in staggered rela-- tionwith reference to the previously described supports and in Fig. 1 thesesupports are rigidly fixed and are not provided with adjusting devices.A detailed view of these supports is seen in Fig. 3. y

In Fig. 4 nthe springs 6 are shapedto rest upon cylindrical supports 9and each one is superposed by a supplementalA spring 1i to which theformer is secured b means of rivets 7 and washers 8 by which are securedto their respective bands.

In Figs. 5 and 6 are seen supplemental coil springs 6b each placed uponone .ofjthe spring plates 6, about the bolt 7 and it is held in properadjustment by thenut l0 engaged in the screwthreadsv 9 of the bolts 7*.In Figs. 7 and 8 is shown a pneumatic tube 13 arranged adjacent to thetelly, which taires the place of the lower springs'and supports. Aprotecting strip 5d is placed above the tube 13 to receive thesupporting springs 17 which carry the strip 5, and this again. issuperposed by the separable adjusting supports :tor the topmost strip,and

also, they rio labove. The covering l2 is secured upon the the whole isiiielosed by the covering 12j mounted in the rim 15.

In Figs. 9 and l0 the rim 15 is shown with vertical sides and carriesthe transverse bolts Q which provided with right and .lett screw threadsfor engagement with the correspondingly screwthreaded nuts 14 and letrespectively, which have their upper faces sloping outwardly. Restingupon the inclined faces of said nuts 14 and la is a spring` plate 6d thelower face of which is in clined downwardly at the sides in conformitywith said nuts, so that as the latter are adjusted on the two-way screwbolts, the plates 6d will be raised or lowered, by a sort' of cammovement for adjusting the strips rim by means ot' annular plates i6,held by suitable bolts. v

In F ll the lower spring G is provided with a bolt or stem 9a extendingthrough the upper spring and its superposed strip of fabric 5,'which areraised or lpweredfjby.l the nut 10L working in the threads yon the Asstated above the tire is designed to utilize the resilience of springsby an arrangement of pliable cords, bands or strips, with springs placedin spaced relation be'- tween successive layers of said bands. The bandsare preferably oi' some pliable but inelastic material as leather, wovenfabric, cable or composition. By this arrangement a great increase ofmotion of any given support and attached portion of the strip is securedas compared with that in the subjacent series of supports and bands.This is accomplished by means of a modiiied catenary between every twoadjacent supports in 'each series o-r concentric series of suchsupports. The use of several. of such sei-ies increases the relativedeformability ofthe outermost series; and the spring tensioniiigsupports by their rocking movement cooperate with the bands and keepsame undei' tension. The pressure of the load on the axle, in theembodiment in a tire, forces a number of the outer supports and theattached bands next to the point of contact with the roadway out of atrue circle andl into a line which is the chord of the orig-inalcircular perimeter of the tire. Thisdeforiiiatioii produces a slackeningof the outer band and a consequent straightening of the subjacent bandsat each side of said point of contact between the tire and roadway,v andthis in turn causes a'greater deHect-ion of the inner bands within thecircular positionimmediately above, and in decreasing decree away fromthe said point of contact.. This action is resisted by the springsupports and pliable bands which cooperate in deflecting a shock awayfrom a line toward the center of the wheel, and the recoil of thevarious parts on one side ott the point of impact being opposed by asimilar recoil on the other side tend to dissipate the shock and preventit from being .imparted to the hub oitl the wheel. IVhcn a shock or blowis received on the outer portion of the tire, the pliable band andattached support or supports are forced inwardl,T and the outermostbearings oi? the supports rotate toward the point ot shock. The outerband ot' the tire, when on a smooth roadway is merely flattened out andslackened near the point ot contact, but this slack is taken up by thelateral expansion of the inner bands and `supports. when the tire isrequired to bend around or absorb an obstruction such as a pebble.Instead of being slackcned it is at lonce tightened by the rentrantcurvature over the object; this forces the remaining lowerl portion ofthe tire into an irregular curve. The construction of the spring portionof the supports .is such that they offer re sistaiice to a rockingmovement, but in coni- Ybiiiaftion with the tensioning portion aresubstantially rigid in a radial direction, especially after a shock hasforced the spring plates into line with the direction of strain in theadjacent band. The resilient portion of the supports holds the bandsunderl tension and the tension is regulated by means of the adjustable,separable portion ofthe supports. The tire may be easily taken apart forrepairs by slackening a: number of tensioning devices and runningthenuts off the threads in other supports. This use of spring supports oflimited resiliency relieves the bands from undue strainwliich wouldotherwise stretch them, for it is obvious that either the bands or theirsupf ports must yield it the tire or cushion possesses the desiredresilient qualit-y. Any substantially inelastic material which is lightenough to yield under a normal, load would fatigue and .becomepermanently stretched under the constant. strain of the more severeshocks frequently received from the average roadway. Under this improvedconstruction the pliable bands are required to take up only a portion ofthe shock of unusual aiidviolent impact, the first and major portionbeing assimilated by the nieta-l spring portion of the supports. Thesesprings operating under the peculiarly advantageous conditions shown arenever coinpressed beyond a very small percentage of their elastic limit,hence ordinary use will have but little destructive effect thereon.

Haying thus described my invention, what I claim'isl. Avresilieiit tirecomprising a plurality of pliable inelastic (bands, a plurality ofspring plates arranged in p airs between each pair of bands. and arigid: support interrfi mediate of the ends of each pair of plates forsustaining them in spaced relation to each other.

2. In vcombination with a wheel embodying a Jfelly, a resilient tirecomprising a plurality oit' pliable inelastic bands, supports arrangedin pairs between said bands'and secured thereto, resilient platessustainedat an intermediate point by said supports, and means foradjusting said supports for tensioningthe. bands.

3. A resilient tire comprising a plurality of pliable inelastic bands,supports arranged in pairs between said bands and-secured thereto,resilient plates, each sustained at an intermediate point by a support,and an adjustable sleeve upon each support whereby the space betweensaid plates may be Avaried for adjusting the tension of said bands.

et. A resilient tire, a plurality of flexible bands, rigid adjustablesupports arranged between said bands andbetween the innermost band andfelly, a resilient plate secured to a band above each supportand meanswhereby certain of said plates may adjust themselves upon theirrespective supports in conformity to the direction of pres` sure uponthe plates.

5. In combination with a wheel embodying a felly, a resilient tirecomprising a plurality of pliable inelastic. bands, supports.

disposed between. said. bands and secured thereto, resilient platessustained at an intermediate point by saidsupports, and adjusting screwsfor moving certain of said supports to vary the tension.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

OLIVER JESSE HOBSN.

lVitnesses: y

lV. G. KlNG, A. J, Mams.,

